Fashion Week in New York City

By: Nancy Jeffries

Posted: February 28, 2007

Fashion Week came and went with the freezing New York City winds in early February. Extreme temperatures, however, did little to dissuade the throngs who came to see featured designers. The fall 2007 collections featured at Bryant Park were harbingers of the clothes, colors, makeup and hairstyles to come. Pale colors and frivolity had clearly been supplanted by chic, dark tones, glimpses of gold and strong contrasts. Gustavo Arango showed tailored looks and cocktail dresses—with a palette of plum, gold and black highlighting sheer accents and vintage details. Hairstyles and makeup were understated, with loose, softly disheveled waves and natural makeup looks.

Betsey Johnson’s show—The Betsey Johnson School of Charm—was typically bright and beautiful, treating front-row visitors to tea, invitations for which were festooned with dainty teacup stickers and included a pair of white gloves. The gesture put all in attendance in an excellence mood for the fashions to come. Navy sheaths, cream georgette pintuck blouses, black satin and velveteen trousers, wrapped and belted waists, layered lace and a faux leopard coat were among the stylish looks for fall. Hair, by Italio Gregorio for Redken, emphasized richly colored and long, wavy tresses, while makeup by Fulvia Farolfi was matte with smoky eyes and pale, natural lip color. The designs were capped off by the ubiquitous, cartwheeling Betsey, who carried her granddaughter, Layla, down the runway at the close of the show.

For Malan Breton’s show, a host of Project Runway regulars came to pay tribute to the former Project Runway designer—including co-host Tim Gunn, whose mentoring of the designers was a memorable hallmark of the show. Breton showed a black silk jersey, gunmetal silk details on antique black lace, an azure silk velvet kimono and ornate beading. Makeup looks were provided by Michelle Shapiro for Face Atelier, which has come to be known as “The Cult Makeup Artist Line” due to its professional following of makeup artists worldwide and a complexion line particularly suited to the needs of high definition film. Warm, glowing skin tones and dark toned nails by Creative Nail Design added to the polished runway looks. Hair, swept up or in long ponytails, was by Tom Markee and the Hello Beautiful Team.

The Heart Truth Red Dress fashion show was another highlight of the week. It featured such celebrity notables as Paula Zahn and Rachel Ray, and benefited Heart Truth (www.hearttruth.gov), a national awareness campaign that warns women about heart disease and the need to take action against its risk factors. Makeup icon Bobbi Brown and her team created custom looks for the event.